For its maiden Eris rocket launch from the Bowen Orbital Spaceport in north Queensland.

An Australian launch permit is required under the Space (Launches & Returns) Act 2018 to launch an object from Australia to an altitude of over 100 kilometres. It comes with a number of conditions that must be met before launch, and a mandatory 30-day notification period.

In March, Gilmour’s Bowen Orbital Spaceport was granted Australia’s first orbital launch facility licence by Minister Husic and was officially opened in April by then-Queensland Deputy Premier Cameron Dick.

The upcoming TestFlight1 will be the first of several planned test launches to reach orbit with Eris, which leverages new propulsion technologies developed by the Gold Coast-based company.

We will have extensive coverage on Talkin’ Science in the weeks ahead – from on the ground and wherever we are in Australia.